


life isn't fair, get over it

by damthosefandoms



Category: Batman (Comics), Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: and then i wanted her to be friends with jason and steph, and then jason became her little brother figure, bc i saw a joke about that in a tumblr post, but i like the idea of them knowing each other, i think artemis grew up in crime alley, jason killed a dude by accident and i mean, ok this came out of nowhere, then i figured artemis was raised as an assassin so like, then i made this, then that became what if she buried a body before, what if she's killed someone before, would YOU bury a body for your best friend? bitch i hope so
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-06
Updated: 2019-12-06
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:14:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21694444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/damthosefandoms/pseuds/damthosefandoms
Summary: Lightning struck somewhere nearby as the boy pulled his knife out. The man fell to the ground, curling into a ball as he hugged his arms tight to his stomach. Rain poured down from the cloudy night sky, fitting for the occasion, but it was natural. Just another Tuesday in Gotham City.The boy, still trembling with terror and adrenaline, watched the man let out his final breath. Miraculously, the knife remained in the boy’s grip, knuckles white. He searched the surrounding darkness for witnesses. There were none, but this was Gotham, after all; where everyone knows you can’t trust the shadows.
Relationships: Artemis Crock & Jason Todd
Comments: 8
Kudos: 101





	life isn't fair, get over it

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sohotthateveryonedied](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sohotthateveryonedied/gifts).



> this is so dumb but anyway i wrote 5000 words and i'm proud of it.
> 
> came up with this while rambling to my best friend destiny (sohotthateveryonedied here and on tumblr, go read her shit) because i wrote that fic one time where jason and stephanie knew each other as kids. then i rewatched young justice and i guess this is a yj au of that? sort of. 
> 
> anyway i would also bury a body for my best friend. that's all. love you guys pls comment or i'll die.
> 
> oh and did i mention: i wrote and am posting this for destiny as a birthday present! a day early bc i'm impatient, but still. I'LL NEVER STOP LOVING YOU, BITCH

_Lightning struck somewhere nearby as the boy pulled his knife out. The man fell to the ground, curling into a ball as he hugged his arms tight to his stomach. Rain poured down from the cloudy night sky, fitting for the occasion, but it was natural. Just another Tuesday in Gotham City._

_The boy, still trembling with terror and adrenaline, watched the man let out his final breath. Miraculously, the knife remained in the boy’s grip, knuckles white. He searched the surrounding darkness for witnesses. There were none, but this was Gotham, after all; where everyone knows you can’t trust the shadows._

_Sirens blared in the distance. Probably nothing to do with the boy_ or _the man, since sirens are like a lullaby to the children of this town, but still he felt the need to run._

 _If you can’t trust the shadows, you_ definitely _can’t trust the cops._

_The boy pushed back the feeling of nausea. He pushed back his emotions—if he panicked now, he’d no doubt be caught standing above the body of the man who—nope._

_Nope. No. No, no, no. It didn’t happen. Nothing happened. The boy was quick, he was safe, he got away alive, not—_

_The man didn’t get away alive._

_The boy pulled his sleeve over his hand, cleaning the blood of the man he’d killed off the knife._

_He put the knife in his backpack._

_He knew there was only one person he could trust to help him now._

* * *

Just when Artemis was _finally_ getting a hold of the hero thing, the shadows had pulled her right back in. 

Well, not the _actual_ Shadows. Somehow. Her dad wasn’t home this week. That’s all that really mattered.

But the metaphorical shadows, the ones that had followed her as a kid who grew up in the worst part of the worst city in the world…

Artemis tossed her bow and quiver onto Jade’s bed, then dropped down into her own. Summer missions were always the worst; somehow, Batman had seemed to hear the words “Summer Break” and translate them into “Summer Break Your Back Doing Hero Work 24/7.”

God, that one wasn’t even _funny_ . It was just _terrible._ Maybe she’d been spending too much time with Wally.

Anyway, Artemis was happy to be home and get the chance to sleep in her own bed instead of one at Mount Justice. She didn’t even bother changing into pajamas; instead, she just pulled the covers up over her head. With her mom out of town for the week, Artemis was alone, which meant she could sleep in as long as she wanted the next day—a true luxury in this household.

Alas, Fate was never kind to anyone. Fate was kind of a dick, actually, according to Wally, but—

Someone knocked on her window.

Artemis groaned and threw the blanket off. She grabbed her bow and nocked an arrow just in case. 

She hesitated before she pulled back the curtain, as she wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. It could be her father or just her over-eager speedster boyfriend. Maybe even Robin; it wouldn’t have been the first time she’d been met with an eerily silent bird, looking for companionship during another of his increasingly-more-common fights with… someone.

Artemis didn’t know for sure _who_ he was fighting with, really, but she had her theories. Those late night hangouts were mostly just playing Mario Kart in silence at three in the morning, and Artemis was pretty sure that the only reason he came to _her_ was because he knew she wouldn’t tell anyone; that, and the fact that she was the only friend he had nearby who wouldn’t have a reason to get involved with the drama.

But it couldn’t be Robin. She knew for a _fact_ that he and Wally had gone back to Wally’s house for a sleepover, or whatever it was they planned to do. 

…Her dad wouldn’t have knocked.

That left one person.

Artemis pulled the curtain back and opened the window to her fire escape.

Standing there, in all his ten-year-old glory, soaked-to-the-bone and pale as a ghost, was Jason Todd.

* * *

_Artemis tightened her grip on her backpack as she climbed off the bus. Theoretically, she shouldn’t have had any reason to be worried. The name of her neighborhood said it all: Crime Alley was a dangerous place for an almost-thirteen-year-old girl to wander at any time of day, much less on the coldest day of the year in early December when the sun sets at 4:30pm. But her dad had a reputation, and he’d made a name for himself._

_Everyone in the area knew that Lawrence Crock’s daughters were off-limits unless you had a death wish. Even if they didn’t, Artemis knew how to protect herself. A single brick in her hands was probably more dangerous than a gun in some of theirs._

_But she still didn’t like it. A few months ago, some idiot had tried to pull some creepy shit on Arthur Brown’s daughter, Stephanie; the girl fortunately got away with some help from one of the street kids. Artemis actually used to babysit Stephanie, and had been introduced to the boy who saved her a few weeks after the incident. Artemis was shocked to learn Stephanie_ wasn’t _living with her mom like the girl’s father had claimed, but was actually living on the streets with the boy. He’d gotten hurt somehow and Stephanie dragged him to Artemis, begging her to patch him up._

_A week later, Stephanie’s dad got arrested for murder (again, thanks Batman), and she went home to her mom’s house. Artemis hadn’t really gotten a chance to see her since, but supposedly she was doing okay._

_Hopefully._

_Then, she’s ripped out of the memory by a kid’s scream and voices yelling. She turns just in time to see two shady-looking guys running down the barely-lit street, and it’s so dark that the only reason Artemis can tell the knife one of them is holding is covered in blood is because she’s been trained to never miss anything._

_The other guy is holding a backpack. An old, worn-out backpack with a Wonder Woman pin on the one working strap._

_Artemis_ knows _that backpack._

_It’s the same backpack Stephanie’s friend had been wearing all those months ago._

_“Hey, assholes!”_

_Said assholes look up. Artemis is already walking up to them._

_One goes to open his mouth, probably to threaten her with that bloody knife next, but he doesn’t get a word out as Artemis swings her backpack off her back and slams it into the guy’s head. He trips backwards, into the wall, and Artemis heel-kicks the man in the head, hard, and he drops to the ground like a sack of bricks. She takes the knife from him, and twirls it expertly in her hand._

_This is too easy for her. Too natural. No kid should be able to do this kind of thing, much less_ have _to._

_But here she is._

_A shadow, hidden away in the dark._

_She turns to look at the other man. He’s backing up towards the building. She holds the knife up to his chin._

_“Give me the backpack, and I’ll give_ you _the chance to live.”_

 _Oh, god. She hates how casual that sounds. How easily the words come to her. She knows if her dad ever found out how she_ really _felt about this part of her life, he’d kill her. But that’s a problem for another time._

_The man rolls his eyes. Bold move for someone backing away from a teenage girl with a knife who just knocked his buddy out out in two hits._

_“‘The chance to live?’ I don’t know what kind of movies you’ve been watching, kid, but—”_

_His face slammed into the wall so hard a few teeth fall out from the impact. Artemis stomps her foot down, hard, on the back of his knee to break it for good measure. She grabs the backpack and dashes down the alleyway they’d come from._

_Jason’s sitting against the wall, curled into a ball and shivering. Artemis had been so filled with adrenaline from the fight that she forgot that today’s supposed to be the coldest day of the year. His arm is bleeding, and she can only tell because there’s yet another hole in his ratty old red hoodie that can’t_ possibly _be keeping him warm._

_Artemis looks closer. She can’t tell if his lips are blue from hypothermia, or if it’s the blood loss._

_She drops down to her knees in front of him, reaching her hand out._

_Artemis Crock has_ never _been the type to help people. She’s always_ wanted _to, but her family…_

_Her dad’s away for the week. Her mom’s in prison. Ja—her sister left years ago. No one is home to stop her._

_“Hey, Jason? Jason Todd, right? Can you hear me?”_

_She’s starting to worry he might actually be_ dead _, when he opens his eyes and glances up at her. He doesn’t move anything but his eyes. Probably not a good sign. Artemis sighs in relief, then continues._

_“I’m Artemis, remember? Stephanie’s babysitter? Do you remember me?”_

_He doesn’t respond. Of course he doesn’t. He’s practically an icicle. It’s about negative ten degrees out, colder with the windchill, and he’s still wearing shorts. Artemis takes off her winter coat. She’s got a jacket on underneath, and a long sleeve shirt under that. She’ll be fine without it for now, and he clearly needs it more. She wraps the coat around Jason’s shoulders, then rips off the sleeve of her jacket. Luckily for both of them, part of her Shadows training included first aid skills. She ties the cloth tightly around Jason’s arm so that it’ll keep pressure on the wound, then helps him get it through the sleeve of her coat. She zips it up for him. Then helps him stand up._

_She doesn’t know the kid that well, but she has a feeling that he’s not the type to take handouts. He hasn’t complained once yet, so something must_ seriously _be wrong with him. He just grabs onto her arm and lets her lead him back to her apartment. It’s not that far, but they have to move slowly because Jason’s currently got one foot in the grave. By the time they get there, Artemis is freezing, but at least she’s doing better than him._

 _She drops him in front of the space heater, sets it to high. Jason stopped shivering halfway there, and from what Artemis can remember, that_ cannot _be good for someone in his position. She opens the closet and grabs all the blankets and sheets she can find._

 _She even makes him a cup of hot chocolate, hoping that it’ll warm him up, but also that the sugar might wake him up a little. She is_ not _letting this kid die of hypothermia on her watch, and she has a bad feeling that if Jason falls asleep now, he might not wake up again._

_She sits beside him—not too closely, because Artemis knows kids like Jason are skittish, and lean more towards fight than flight when they’re cornered—and makes sure he keeps his eyes open. Once he’s warm enough, Artemis grabs the first aid kid from under the sink and gets to work on his arm. This is one of the few times she’s grateful about her family’s line of work; they’ve got a lot more in there than a normal first aid kit. Artemis has always been mediocre when it comes to stitches, but at least she’s able to do it._

_Her father (probably) won’t be back for a few weeks, so Artemis lets Jason stay at her apartment. He sleeps in Jade’s bed, and Artemis doesn’t know how to cook_ that _well, so they have Kraft Mac & Cheese every other meal, but the way Jason’s eyes light up every time makes Artemis think he’s never had a home cooked meal. _

_The sixth day Jason is there, he tells her that he hasn’t._

_When Jason finally decides to leave, a week and a half after the Incident, Artemis packs his backpack with a bunch of snacks and other perishable foods, and a ton of first aid supplies. She gives him her coat, claiming she can just use Jade’s old one. She also writes her phone number down on a post-it note._

_“If you ever need anything—no matter what it is—call me. I mean it. Us Crime Alley kids have to stick together, right?”_

_Jason gives her his signature troublemaker grin and climbs out her window. Artemis has a feeling she’ll see him again soon._

_(And she does.)_

* * *

Jason was crying when she opened the window. In the three years that she’d known him, Artemis had only _once_ seen Jason cry. Something was _wrong._

Artemis helped him climb inside, out of the rain. While Jason grabbed a towel to dry off, Artemis checked outside the window to make sure there was no one else around.

And _that_ is when she saw it. Artemis took a shaky breath. This was _bad_ . This was horribly, terribly, _monumentally_ **_horrible_ ** _in every_ **_single_ ** _way—_

But it made sense why he had chosen to come to her. Who better to come to after he killed a guy, than the girl who he _knew_ has been raised to do that very same thing? 

It wasn’t like this was the first time she’d ever seen a body.

When she turned around, Jason was sitting on Jade’s bed, shaking and staring into space. He’d stopped crying, but she could tell he was still breathing heavily. 

“I-I’m sorry, I di-did-didn’t mean—he just got t-too c-c-cl-close and, and I-I, I just—I just, r-reacted, Artemis, I’m-I’m so-so-so s-sor-sorry—” Jason’s words became practically incomprehensible from then on as he broke down in her arms.

Artemis just held the boy she considered a younger brother as he sobbed. 

Life was just so _fucking_ unfair to them. 

* * *

_There was a loud knocking on her bedroom window. Artemis checked the time on her alarm clock; 2:38am. She shoved the blankets off, mumbling something about stupid street kids never leaving her alone. She opened the window to see Jason standing there, hugging his arms around his stomach, blue eyes full of panic._

_They still lit up bright when he saw her._

_“Hey, Artemis, what’s up?” Jason said, but it wasn’t as full of energy as usual. He talked too slow, worked too hard on making sure his words came out clearly; if Artemis didn’t know better, she almost would’ve guessed Jason was drunk._

_“Why don’t you tell me?_ You’re _the one standing on my fire escape at 2:30 in the morning on a school night.”_

 _“Ha ha. Let me in, I ne—_ woah _.” Jason started to reach up to climb in through her window, but suddenly he leaned forward a little too far. Luckily, Artemis had_ great _reflexes, and caught him before his head could hit the wall._

 _“What the_ hell _happened to you? Are you dru…_ Jason _, is that_ blood _? Did you get stabbed again?” Artemis’ eyes widened when she saw that Jason’s hands were covered in blood—his blood. He was bleeding through his t-shirt._

_“Sh-shot, actually. First time, can you believe it—ohhhhh…” Jason closed his eyes for a second. “I-it… doesn’t feel good. Don’t ever get shot, ’kay, Mis?”_

_Artemis muttered a quick “too late” under her breath, and helped Jason inside. She sat him down on her sister’s—well, more Jason’s by now—bed, ordered him not to move—“Yeah, not a problem.”—and ran to get her first aid kit._

_When she came back, Jason was looking a lot paler than normal. He tried to sit up and talk, but she just pushed him back down._

_“Mis, my head hurts. Why’s it—I didn’t get hit there, or nothin’, shouldn’ hurt—what’re you doin’?”_

_“I gotta pull your shirt up, Jay, it’s the only way I can help you.” She glanced around the room. “Now, where’s my—oh!”_

_“Bite down on this.”_

_Jason looked at the belt in her hand, then back up at her._

_“Tha’s a belt.”_

_“Yes. Bite down on it.”_

_“S’not_ candy _, Mis, think you’re confused.”_

 _“And you’re_ not _bleeding out on my sister’s old bed. The bullet didn’t go all the way through you, right?”_

_“...don’ think so.”_

_“Then it’s still inside you. Unless you want lead poisoning, I gotta get it out.”_

_“Well, ‘m not gonna… gonna last tha’ long ‘nyway, jus’ leave it in.”_

_“I told you to stop talking that way. Sit still, and bite down on it.”_

_"Told ya thousan' times, Mis, 'm not even gonna make it ta sixteen." Despite his argument, Jason did what he was told._

_After Jason was deemed stable, he pushed himself up off the bed—slower than normal, but not fast enough to pull his stitches. The kid always bounced back; that was something Artemis knew very well._

_“Alright, I’m good, thanks for the assist! I gotta go, now, though so if you’ll excuse me—”_

_Artemis blocked his way and crossed her arms._ _  
__“No way are you leaving here without explaining to me who did this.”_

_“Did what? I’m fine, remember? No need to worry!”_

_“You got shot.”_

_“And you fixed me up.”_

_“Who shot you, Jason?”_

_“Well, that doesn’t really matter—”_

_“Jason.” Artemis dropped her arms and her glare. She put a hand on his shoulder, and forced him to look her in the eyes._

_“Jason,_ who shot you _?”_

_He looked away. Artemis could feel him stiffen under her grip._

_“It’s no one.”_

_“Bullshit. We promised no lies, Jason.”_

_He looked at her, tears threatening to spill over._

_“I’m telling you, Mis, it was no one.”_

_“Jason.”_

_“You’re going to be mad.”_

_“Just tell me.”_

_“… It was Paulie Benetti.”_

_Artemis narrowed her eyes. Paulie Benetti was one of the most infamous dealers on this side of Gotham. Rumor had it—well, more than rumor, Artemis knew it for a fact—he was one of Black Mask’s go-to dealers, the ones who got the really dangerous shit._

_Also, his main base of operations was the corner Jason’s apartment was on. Jason’s_ mom’s _apartment._

_If he was the guy who shot Jason…_

_“Why were you talking to_ him _?”_

_Jason hesitated. Of course he did. They’d had this conversation a thousand times before._

_He wouldn’t tell Artemis where he got the money—she had a theory, but she knew Jason would never admit to it and she kind of didn’t want to admit it to_ herself _what he was up to—but she knew it wasn’t pretty, and it probably wasn’t safe. Whatever it was, Jason did it to get money to pay his mom’s dealers for her drugs. If there was anything left (and there usually wasn’t), he’d use it to pay her bills and do what he could to keep her alive._

_If you asked Artemis, doing anything for that woman was a waste of time._

_“Mom needed her meds.”_

_“Jason, I_ told _you—”_

_He sniffed, and wiped at his eyes with his sleeve._

_“I know! I know, I just—he got pissed at me, but I was actually going to pay him this time, I got the money and—”_

_“And how the hell did you_ get _the money, Jason?”_

_Artemis sighed, and sat down next to him._

_“You can’t keep doing this, Jason. You_ know _it’s not medication you’re getting her.”_

_“It makes her feel better.”_

_“_ Feeling _better doesn’t mean_ getting _better. Hell, in this case, it’s the opposite. All you’re doing is enabling her. You have to_ stop _.”_

 _“But she’s my_ mom _.”_ _  
__“Then why am_ I _the one taking care of you?”_

* * *

After about twenty minutes of him sobbing into her arms, Jason calmed down enough to speak. 

“I didn’t mean it,” he whispered, without looking up. 

“I know,” Artemis said. And _god_ , did she _know_.

“No. You don’t.” Jason’s voice was stronger than before. More confident, somehow.

“Jason—”

“I didn’t _mean_ it. But…” Jason’s eyes became unfocused. It was like he was trying to piece together a puzzle that Artemis wasn’t able to see. “But I don’t regret it.”

And _that_ statement was said with more confidence than Artemis had ever seen from him. It would’ve been a lot more unnerving if Artemis hadn’t been able to relate so well.

“Jason…” She muttered, but it was more to herself than him. 

“I _killed_ that man. And I don't feel bad. At _all_. _Jesus_ _fucking_ _Christ_. I’m… that’s… so _fucked up_.” 

And what the hell was she supposed to say to that?

“…Jason, was he… did he try to hurt you?”

“…”

“You can talk to me, Jason. You know that. No secrets between us.”

Jason stayed silent for a few minutes, then sniffed. He wiped his eyes. And then he told her everything.

The world was a better place with that man dead, and that’s all anyone needed to know. 

After Jason finished explaining, they sat there quietly for a few minutes. Then, Jason got up. His voice was shaky, but at least he wasn’t bleeding out anymore. It could’ve been much, _much_ worse, and they both knew it. 

He turned towards the window. 

“W-we… we have to… we have to get rid of the body, a-and…” 

Artemis sighed and stood up. “Yeah, we do. Fortunately, you came to the right person. I think we have some stuff in the closet. You go find my car keys. I’ll grab the shovels.”

If Jason was going to go down, she was going to go down with him.

* * *

They parked the car on the outskirts of town, and dragged the man’s body down from the road deep into the woods. Artemis had been there once before. Apparently, Shadows Training 101 had included a lesson on how to bury dead bodies. It was just bad luck that it ended up being convenient. They spent the next few hours doing something she’d seen her dad do hundreds of times, but she’d never had to do the _entire_ job herself. Usually Jade would’ve been there to help her.

But if it was to protect Jason? Artemis would’ve done _anything_.

 _Clearly_.

She could only hope that Batman and Robin were too busy dealing with other stuff to discover her out there with Jason.

Because if they’d seen her out there, on the edge of town, doing _this_?

She’d be _screwed._

But Artemis didn’t let her anxiety show. Jason _needed_ her.

He shouldn’t have needed her.

Jason should’ve been _okay._

Jason shouldn’t have been coming to her, crying and shaking and _terrified_ and with _fucking_ **_corpses_ ** because she was the _only_ person in the universe—multiverse?— he could actually _trust_.

His mom should’ve been taking care of him. His mom shouldn’t have been addicted to drugs. She shouldn’t have been rotting away in her apartment that she never paid rent for anyway. She should’ve had a job, but she didn’t because she’s practically dead on her feet. 

Jason, a _child_ , shouldn’t have had to be forced to do some terrible, _horrible_ things just to keep himself _alive_.

He shouldn’t have been spending his childhood running from cops who weren’t even actual cops, or at the very least shouldn’t have _been_ actual cops.

He shouldn’t have been malnourished, and alone, and _scared_ , no matter how much he said he wasn’t.

He shouldn’t have had to kill _anyone_ , much less in _self-fucking-defense_ , because he was stuck living in the worst part of the worst city in a terrible world.

But there they were, burying a dead body in _stupid_ Gotham City, because life was _never_ _fucking_ _fair_ to _anyone_. 

_Especially_ not to kids like Jason.

Kids like Jason—like _both of them_ —always needed _someone_ by their side.

Artemis made a promise to herself years ago that she’d be the one by Jason’s side, because _someone_ needed to be. 

* * *

“Anyone ever tell you you’re different now?” Jason asked.  
Artemis looked up, wiping some dirt off her face. They had finally finished… filling the hole back in, and were packing their shovels back into her mom’s car.

“What do you mean? I’m just me.” She slammed the trunk shut. They both climbed inside the car as Jason continued.

“Well, yeah. But like… remember when you first joined your little team of superheroes? I think I said something to you about ‘betraying street rat kind,’ or whatever. ‘Cause you work with Batman now, and all.” 

“Vaguely. You trying to say I’m worse now? Bold move for someone who just asked me to bury a body for him.” Artemis said with a shaky laugh.

“No, I mean… you were always my hero, you know? But now you’re a _real_ hero. Saving the world and junk. And _dating_ other heroes. Speaking of which, when am I going to meet Kid Flash? Because I know you won’t tell me his name and I’m not gonna ask it, but I _do_ want to meet him, ‘cause as your self-appointed little brother it’s my job to—” He 

“ _Jason_.” Artemis glared at him. Maybe she had been blushing a bit too, but it was too dark at the time for anyone to tell.

“Yeah, I know, not the point. Anyway, look. You’re a _superhero_ now.”

“Barely. I’m just the team’s archer, it’s not like I have powers or anything.”

“But you saved the _world_ , Mis! You’re literally Green Arrow’s sidekick, you work for the Justice League, you kick ass every day!” At least now Jason seemed to have calmed down. He was starting to act like he did normally. That was _always_ a good sign.

“What’s your point, here, Jason?” Artemis asked.

“My point is that you’re different. You’re a better person now. You help people, and that’s so cool, and…”

Jason stopped, and thought for a moment. 

“And you’re not _like_ Batman and Robin. You keep helping _me._ You’re a hero, but you’re actually out here protecting the kids in Crime Alley who actually need it. You’re being a hero to better yourself and to protect the people of your city, and not just the ones living and working in those giant skyscrapers downtown. You’re helping the ones who need it. Batman and Robin don’t do that a lot. They go after the big-name crazies and the arkham inmates and the C-list assholes like your dad. I know they still do it sometimes, but it’s just… what have Batman and Robin _ever_ done for _us,_ you know?”

Artemis focused her eyes on the road. She couldn’t blame Jason for feeling the way he did. All the Crime Alley kids in Gotham felt that way at some point. 

Even herself.

Artemis had always wanted to be a hero. She never wanted to do what her dad raised her to do. But when Batman and Green Arrow showed up in her apartment that night, offering her a real chance to go some good in the world, she didn’t want it. _No_ —she didn’t _trust_ it. 

Because why _her_? Why try to make better the life of someone who actually had a roof above her head, food in the fridge, a bed to sleep on, when you could instead help someone else out there who _didn’t_ have _any_ of that. Why didn’t they recruit someone like Jason, who needed that kind of mentorship and someone to take care of him. He could’ve been living at Mount Justice with M’gann and Conner, maybe even working with Batman himself. 

And then there was the fact that she _did_ get it. Artemis used to think the same way. Batman and Robin claimed to be making a difference in Gotham, but the kids living on the street and in her part of town never saw that difference, because things _never_ got better for _them_. 

Artemis was working for the Justice League. She knew Batman and Robin personally. She was filled with guilt every time she so much as looked at Jason, because the fact of the matter was that she _could’ve_ made a _real_ difference. She could’ve told Robin the _truth_ about the kids in Crime Alley, the ones she had always been convinced he didn’t even _know_ about. She could have told him about what they had gone through every day, how they had always spent their time not _living_ , but _surviving_. She could've told Batman. She could’ve gotten those kids the help they needed. She could’ve gotten the heroes to protect them. 

But she couldn’t, because Batman and Robin would never be able to help. Neither of them would ever be able to understand. 

Kids like Artemis and Jason needed a hero who wasn’t afraid to get down and dirty, to do the things Batman and Robin couldn’t, someone able to cross lines they were afraid to go anywhere near. Someone who understood what it was like to grow up alone and scared and forced to do things no child should ever have to do just to stay alive another day.

There were no heroes like that.

Artemis looked at Jason.

“One day, Jason, I promise you this: things are gonna be different. But until then?”

He looked at her, eyes wide.

“I’ll keep you safe. I promise.”

Jason smiled.

They pulled up in front of her apartment. Artemis parked the car, and they both climbed out. 

When they got back inside, Artemis went to put the shovels away. She was about to close the closet door, when Jason ran up to her.

“Hey, Mis?”

“Yeah?”

“Can we watch Kim Possible now?”

“…Really? We just buried an actual, dead human body, and your immediate thought afterwards is ‘can we watch Kim Possible?’”

“Yeah. I’m a simple boy.”

“You’re an idiot is what you are.”

“That’s rude.”

“You’re rude.”

“Says the boy who killed a man tonight.”

“I got rid of the evidence.”

“The knife is still in your backpack.”

“Shut up! Let’s watch, okay?”

Artemis finally gave in. She watched as Jason ran over to the tv. He was such a good kid. He didn’t deserve any of the shit that happened to him. But that was life in Gotham.

Artemis buried a body for him. 

And if anything ever happened to him? She’d do it again.

**Author's Note:**

> can't believe artemis is gonna kill the joker.


End file.
